Psych-Out / The Trip

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All Rise...

The Charge

The ultimate head trip that's a big thrill in a little pill.

Opening Statement

Two LSD-themed films from the AIP (American International Pictures) banner
are released as an MGM Midnite Movies Double Feature.

Facts of the Case

Psych-Out: A deaf-mute runaway attempts to find her brother in the
Haight-Ashbury stoner district. With the help of Stoney (Jack Nicholson in one
of his early roles), she gets involved with the drug scene. Will she find her
brother or will she get lost in a culture she doesn't understand?

The Trip: Commercial director Paul Groves'
(Peter Fonda in fine form) life is falling apart. In the middle of a divorce and
a career that's going nowhere, he turns to his friend John (Bruce Dern). John
suggests an LSD trip. Groves agrees and begins a personal odyssey.

The Evidence

Both films haven't aged very well. Made at the height of the psychedelic era
(1967-68), the ideals expressed in these films seem dated and of a bygone era.
Yet they're worth watching once, if only for the historical value.

Psych-Out was produced by Dick Clark (yes, that Dick Clark)
and directed by Richard Rush. Rush has made some good films (The Stunt Man, The Savage Seven)
and some stinkers (Color of Night) in his
very sporadic career. The screenplay by E. Hunter Willett and Betty Ulius is
chock full of stupid, unrealistic dialogue, often poorly organized and doesn't
make sense. Yet Rush and a good cast that includes Nicholson, Dern, Susan
Strasberg, and Dean Stockwell manage to make a decent movie out of practically
nothing.

Much better is The Trip, produced and
directed by the great Roger Corman (House of Usher, The Wild Angels).Unlike
Psych-Out, Corman's film starts with a well-written, intelligent script
(by Jack Nicholson!). Corman explains in his commentary that he wanted to make a
realistic film about LSD and that he actually underwent a trip of his own as
preparation for filming. Now, I have never been on an acid trip ever in my life,
so I have no idea if he's telling the truth about whether or not his film is
realistic. But Corman has always had a reputation for being an honest man, so he
can be believed. I think.

Anyway, back to the film. The film's visual effects are more imaginative and
invigorating than most drug films of the time. The acting is very good, with
Fonda giving his best pre-Easy
Rider performance and Dern equaling him as the guru friend who guides him
through his trip. Dennis Hopper makes an appearance here, setting the record for
saying "man" the most times in a single speech (36 times, according to
Corman).

The score is by An American Music Band, later renamed The Electric Flag. It
accomplishes what all great scores are supposed to do: enhance the film without
giving away what is going to happen in the picture. The soundtrack album went
gold in 1967 and it's still in print in a good edition from Columbia. Guitar
buffs will recognize Mike Bloomfield's soaring guitar. He was one of the
greatest guitarists in music history but never reached the heights he deserved
to. His life was cut short, ironically, by a drug overdose in 1981.

AIP may have financed both productions, but that didn't guarantee final cut.
Both films were severely cut before their release. According to Corman's
commentary, co-founder Jim Nicholson was becoming conservative and didn't agree
with the message of the films. Psych-Out lost a few acid trip scenes, but
The Trip was significantly changed, the worst of the changes being the
ending where spoiler warning a jagged edge was added to the final
close-up of Peter Fonda indicating that LSD was bad and ruined his life. Corman
preferred an open ending, leaving it up to the viewer. Watching it today, 36
years later, I have to agree with Corman.

MGM presents both films in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The MGM
presentations of the AIP library have been a mixed bag with some looking
fantastic (the Poe pictures, Die Monster Die!) and others looking pretty
bad (At the Earth's Core). This is
one of their better efforts. Colors are fresh and vibrant, which is extremely
important given the theme of these films. No edge enhancement is visible in any
scenes. There is a small amount of grain in Psych-Out, but none in The
Trip. Scratches and specks are present, but none that are a major viewing
distraction.

The sound is presented in a Dolby Digital 2.0 mono mix. Stereo would have
been preferable considering the amount of music in both films. But as it is,
it's passable, nothing spectacular or groundbreaking. Some hiss in the more
silent moments, but relatively clean.

The Trip could almost qualify for Special Edition status with the
surprising amount of extras included. First is a commentary track by Roger
Corman. It isn't as good as his previous commentaries (a little more silence
than I would have liked), but it is still worthwhile. Corman always gives good
information whenever he speaks, and even if he talks less than usual, it's worth
a listen.

A 15-minute featurette called "Tune In, Trip Out" is next.
Featuring interviews with Corman, Bruce Dern, and Allen Daviau (who did the
visual effects for the film), this fills in the gaps in Corman's commentary
quite nicely.

A second 15-minute featurette called "Psychedelic Film Effects"
features Daviau talking about how he created the visual effects. Good
information is present here. They could have combined both featurettes into one
half-hour documentary, but that's a minor complaint.

The "Psychedelic Light Box" is simply Daviau's effects separated
from the feature and set to Bloomfield's music. This is only for the
initiated or fans of the era. [Editor's Note: What I think Bill means is that
it's only for those who are stoned, man.]

The original theatrical trailer is included in full frame and in poor visual
shape. It shows how AIP completely misunderstood the film Corman gave them.

Last but not least is an article published by American
Cinematographer about how the film's effects were photographed. A
fascinating read, but you'll need a set at least 32 inches wide to be able to
read it.

Psych-Out only has two extra features. A theatrical trailer in
non-anamorphic widescreen is included. Also, a 12 minute featurette titled
"Love and Haight" is included featuring interviews with Dick Clark,
Richard Rush, and Dern. Clark apparently took the film seriously (!) and treats
it as if it's a major contribution to cinema. Nice try, Dick.

Closing Statement

With a retail price of $14.95, I recommend it as a rental. Corman fans might
want to purchase this for their collection, but this is the kind of disc that
won't be spun more than once.